


Magic, Wolf Tracks, and a Zombie Problem

by shippingandrecieving



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Sorcerer Gabriel, ah yes Gabriel 'i'm your dad now' Reyes, another tumblr au, implied Jack/Gabriel, werewolf mccree - Freeform, white witch Jack, young Jesse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-04
Updated: 2017-03-04
Packaged: 2018-09-27 08:38:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9986828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shippingandrecieving/pseuds/shippingandrecieving
Summary: Based on Freedomconvicted's magic and monsters AU on Tumblr following the Halloween update- What to do when you live in a town of supernatural beings and accidentally adopt a werewolf: An ongoing saga by one Gabriel Reyes.





	

**Author's Note:**

> As stated in the summary, this fic is another tumblr collaboration, this time with Freedomconvicted (on Tumblr) for their magic and monsters Halloween comic series which is amazing. After getting permission, facts, and structural information on the AU itself here it is! Hope you enjoy this one too.

Screaming. Running. Fire everywhere, splitting the sky open like lightning. Tall flowers burning too. Stems snag clothing and leaves cut bare skin. A hat pushed into tiny hands a desperate kiss pressed to a forehead. Stay here, stay quiet. I'll come back soon. Burning. Shrieking. Waiting. He doesn't.

\---

The Mausoleum is dimly lit, the shallowly flickering candles and the dim glow from the tar black cauldron frothing and hissing purple smoke are the only sources of light, thick shadows clawing at the tall marble walls. Phials and jars line the walls on bowing wooden shelves, and on leather strings and hanging racks tethered to the roof supports.

Heavy leather boots stride purposefully around the spitting cauldron, thick metallic soles clacking on the flagstones that paved the floor. The figure was clad in a thick black coat, high collared and covered in buckles and pockets, that swept across the stone floor behind him like a swath of pure shadow. His cowl was drawn up, shrouding their face in shadow. An eerie sanguine glow emanated from beneath the brim of his hood, staining dark cheekbones a bloody red, the outline made jagged by thick black lashes.

 

The sorcerer hummed low in his throat thoughtfully, dragging his thick fingers idly through his neatly cropped beard. He opened a thick, faintly vibrating book covered in shiny, deep green runes, the heavy pages falling open the rustling of ancient parchment almost like a whispering inhale of breath. The tome shook more violently and emitted a shrill banshee-like scream.

Gabriel snapped the book shut and sighed. Screaming. Why does it have to scream. The sorcerer _tsked_ as he opened the tome again and began to leaf through; the book itself was large and ungainly, bound in thick black leather cracked in places and smelling faintly of blood and tar. The size and weight of the book were no trouble, the intrusive and frankly unnecessary fact were that whenever a page was read that contained a particularly nefarious summoning science or concoction the tome would emit a shrill, otherworldly wailing.

Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, red eyes narrowing; the faint crimson glow fanning out through his lashes and over wide cheekbones. Under any other circumstance, Gabriel would vehemently refuse to so much as touch such a tome, however a particularly stubborn poltergeist inhabiting the public conveniences had driven him to desperate measures. Everything in that tome required bone dust and vile essence, and neither of which the sorcerer kept in quantity.

Jack's farm was the closest Apothecary, just a straight forward drive to the furthest point of town, and just beyond lay miles upon miles of green and golden corn stems. Nestled at the centre of which, down a narrow grit path, was Jacks farmhouse; all stained glass windows, woven rugs, and high wooden beams strung with jars holding candles. The White Witch hated the use of such grim ingredients so it was almost a given he would part from them without much of a struggle.

Reyes stowed the tome in a cast iron lockbox built into one of the walls and summoned a light shrouding charm over the key, which he dropped into one of the empty flasks hanging from the ceiling.

Gabriel stepped out of the smoky confines of the marble building and pushed back his hood with the backs of his knuckles, raking his short nails through his tightly knotted corkscrew curls. The sorcerer grumbled, blinking hard as his eyes adjusted to the bright autumn sun. He locked the heavy iron-reinforced door behind him with one of the older looking keys stowed on a hoop on his belt and made for the modest carpark, down the narrow gravel path that wound its way from Gabriel's mausoleum through the town cemetery. The cemetery had been in his care for years, an occupation he volunteered for, he had always been taught to respect the dead and he stuck to those teachings like a holy scripture. The desecration of the dead and the reanimating of was a practice he swore he would take no part of, and shut down any summoning rings the came across. If anyone attempted such a ritual in this cemetery they would sorely regret it.

The sorcerer sat down heavily in the drivers seat of his car and blinked hard; the open sunlight did no harm to his eyes, however the sheer difference in the opposing light levels always made him feel light headed and bleary. He drew a deep steadying breath and focused on twisting the key in the ignition. Slowly, he pulled out of the little carpark and towards the open town roads. The thought of latitudinous cornfields and the man who owned them made the uncomfortable pulsing in his temples seem much more distant.

Some distance out of town, Reyes stamped down on the brakes and twisted in his seat. Far on the horizon was the unmistakable rolling shape of thickly billowing smoke, and far too much of it to be someone's bonfire. Disquiet settled like lead in his gut. In one smooth motion, he spun his car around and took off towards the source of the thick black clouds.

\---

Gabriel's car rolled to a halt. The sorcerer gaped dumbly and unsteadily slid out of the drivers seat and surveyed what remained of the town. What was once a bustling, if small settlement was now little more than a smouldering crater. There was nothing but burned out frames of presumably houses or shops in a wide crossroads shape. Corpses were haphazardly strewn in an almost circle. Most had been reduced to little more than ash, but those that were mostly recognizable as human they're limbs were curled and brittle like snuffed out candle wicks.

Gabriel crouched down by the incinerated remains of an indistinguishable corpse, murmuring a blessing for their soul under his breath before pushing on deeper into the town to search for survivors and to guide any remaining souls of the dead.

Among the creaking and splitting of the charred wooden frames, Gabriel heard another noise; it was small and high-pitched, but defiantly human. Gabriel cautiously followed the soft whimpering sound that lead him off the outskirts of the little town and deep into a once thick field of sunflowers. The tall stems now blackened and withered, Gabriel gagged and spluttered at the thick coaly taste on the air. A few meters away in a small stamped down clearing, soot covered and trembling, was a little boy.

The child's thick wavy hair wasn't enough to hide the tipped, furry wolfs ears that lay flattened against his head, nor did reddened, tear streaked cheeks distract from the thick fangs that protruded down past his trembling lower lip. Reyes sighed, brows softening and his heart feeling heavy at the sight. The child couldn't have been more than five or six; his grazed knees were pulled tight up to his chest where he sat rocking back and forth and whimpering. His honey coloured eyes were wide and unseeing, to frightened to cry further or to focus on the world around him.

The boy's tiny hands clutched what looked like a sheriffs hat, the wide crinkled brim had caught the flames in places, the leather split and warped and blackened. The hat was much too large for him. Something of his fathers perhaps, a promise to return before departing to help defend the town from the hungry flames or whatever had caused them.

Gabriel's posture softened and he pushed into the little clearing, the boy didn't seem harmed physically, but whatever he might have witnessed had shocked him into a terrified blank silence. The sorcerer reached up to gently pull back his cowl and knelt in front of the little werewolf.

" _Hola_ ," He said softly. The boy blinked; he remained ridged and silent, but blinking was a reaction. Gabriel settled more comfortably on his knees, tucking his legs underneath him and tried again, thankful for some common ground-bar the supernatural.

" _Esta_ _bien_ , it's alright you're safe. Are you hurt?" The sorcerer pressed gently. The whimpering became a little louder and child's lower lip trembled. Gabriel reached forward, and gently brushed the child's soot darkened hair away from his face. The contact appeared to jolt the boy back into observant consciousness. His honey gold eyes wide and confused.

The older man tilted his head to the side brows pulling together in concern, he drew his hand back to rest on his knee, "Can you hear me, _pequeño_?"

The child lower lip wobbled and he tightened his grip on the sheriffs hat he still held. The feel of the leather in his hands caused him to look down sharply, as though he didn't realise he was holding it.

"Pa?" He whispered, eyes filling with tears. He turned his gaze up towards Reyes, desperately searching his face for answers. "Pa?" Hiccupping sobs wracked his tiny body and he pulled the hat tighter towards his chest, fat tears beginning to roll down his reddened cheeks. Gabriel felt his heart break.

He bundled the sobbing mass of hair, soot, and fur into his arms and held him close, hushing him softly. Reyes stood and picked his way back through the ruined sunflower field, purposefully avoiding the centre of the ravaged town, and made his way back to his car. The tiny werewolf sobbing into his shoulder all the way. Gabriel was thankful, in a way; if the child had his vision impaired by tears and his face pressed into the collar of his leather coat, he was oblivious to the desolated state of the town. Gabriel knew he would have to return soon, to bury the remains of the dead and see to whatever had destroyed the town. For now, a few hastily cast wards en route would have to do.

The drive home was tense and silent, the gravity of the situation beginning to dawn on Gabriel, all previous musings of Jack Morrison, screaming tomes, and unruly poltergeists were long forgotten. The recently orphaned werewolf child in his passenger seat garnered his full attention.

Gabriel parked outside his cabin at sat motionless behind the wheel, drumming his fingers as he thought, unsure on what to do next. The little boy squirmed in his seat, rubbing his reddened eyes and nose with the back of his hand, smearing soot over his face.

The sorcerer's stomach knotted uncomfortably. Maybe it would be best to take the boy to the police, claim the fire was a natural disaster or arsonists, Gabriel fretted, heart beginning to pound hard in his chest. He knew nothing on how to look after children, much less an infant werewolf and since the 'Lycanthrope Incident' the being's themselves were regarded with caution. Perhaps it would be for the best; had the child not already been frightened out of his wits the sorcerers demonic glowing eyes and shrouding cloak would surely have done so. Gabriel then made the mistake of looking over to the little child in the passenger seat. He was staring up at the sorcerer with wide, tear shiny eyes, and looking every part the lost little boy he was.

In the back of his mind, Gabriel heard them; those two brilliant, dangerous words that had got him into unimaginable trouble over the years. ** _Fuck it_**.

He slid out of the drivers seat and circled around the front of the car to unbuckle the boy's seatbelt and to gently lift the child into his arms. Gabriel steeled himself and marched purposefully homeward with the child held safely against his chest. He was Gabriel fucking Reyes. Sorcerer of great renown, guardian of tormented souls and guide to lost spirits. He was the saviour of the town several times over. If he could keep safe this town from whatever the supernatural could cast their way, he could keep safe one frightened tiny werewolf child.

"Hey," Gabriel called softly, jostling the little boy in his arms to gain his attention. Gabriel kept his expression open and gentle-only when he consciously schooled his expression did he realise just how much he scowled. "What is your name, _chico_?"

The little werewolf ducked his head and fidgeted nervously in Gabriel's arms, dusky brown waves of his hair falling into his face. "Jesse." He mumbled, blinking up at the sorcerer.

"I am Gabriel Reyes, you are safe with me. Everything will be alright."

"Okay." Jesse nodded, Gabriel felt the side of the child's head rubbing against his shoulder with the affirmation.

"Hold tight now," Reyes grunted, struggling to unhook the set of keys from the loop on his belt with one hand. The lock yielded after a half-hearted struggle on the door's part, and the sorcerer nudged the door open with a leather clad knee and shoulder.

Jesse whined, pushing himself tighter against Gabriel's chest. He cast a cautious look around the dimly lit room, sniffling back tears. Reyes smoothed his hand soothingly over the little werewolf's back and shoulder.

"Nothing here will harm you." The sorcerer murmured softly. Jesse whimpered uncertainly but nodded.

The hearth warmed the cabin, keeping the chill at bay, the cooling air outside held the first breaths of winter. The cabin was lit by clusters of candles on slates set on surface tops and hanging down from the rafters in glass phials with twine. The flames inside were enchanted to be different colours- various hues of white, coppery gold, and deep blues and reds-casting flickering faint kaleidoscope patters against the inside of the peaked roof and the underside of the half floor that held Reyes' bedroom. The enchanted flames merging with the natural candlelight to create a soft, wisplike glow.

Gabriel adjusted his hold on the little boy as he took him through to the back of the house, under the stairs and second floor towards the bathroom. He nudged the door open with his shoulder and sat the child on the countertop next to the sink. Jesse fidgeted on the cold surface, he watched Gabriel with his head tilted to the side curiously as the sorcerer dampened a flannel under the tap until sodden with warm water. The sorcerer wrung out the cloth and set it aside.

"Let's get all this soot cleaned off you, can't have you looking like a chimney sweep." Gabriel smiled to himself when the little boy nodded along with his words, and allowed Reyes to gently turn his head to wipe away the soot and grime.

With the dirt cleaned away, Gabriel could get a better assessment of the boy; his skin was a dark tan, several shades lighter than his tawny hair. Gabriel suppressed a smile, in the right light with his wide, bright gold eyes he would look somewhat akin to one of the owls that had made home in the roof of his firewood store. The ruddy red of his rounded cheeks and nose were beginning to fade, he still sniffled occasionally but with the tear tracks washed away he looked far less lost and scared. Reyes knelt to wipe the dirt and soot off the child's legs and unlace his shoes, placing them neatly off to the side.

"Now that's better," Gabriel smiled, lifting Jesse into his arms again and making towards the stairs. He ascended the steps and gently set Jesse down on his bed, the boy's little legs folding until Gabriel could sit him down on the soft coverlet. The sorcerer's brow furrowed as he hummed thoughtfully. Gently, he eased the werewolf child's ruined t-shirt off. His shorts were salvageable, the dirt and soot would wash out, the shirt however had char marks and a long tear at the hem.

"I've only got the one bed, it will have to do for now I suppose. Here." He turned to rummage through a nearby set of draws and produced a large, black t-shirt with a Jack o'lantern printed on the center. "This will have to do until I can get you some proper clothes of your own. Arms up." Jesse stuck his arms in the air as commanded and allowed Gabriel to gently pull the shirt over his head. The sorcerer sighed, huffing through his nose. A grown man's hand-me-downs wouldn't do for another ten years or so. Ana Amari would help with that; as much as the archivist loved to tease, help was always given when asked for- and that garish shirt that he'd never admit was his favourite. She had known Gabriel and Jack since their youth, and the three of them and become something of a common sight around town and shoulder to shoulder when trouble had come to call.

The sorcerer eased out of his coat and draped it over the wooden railing that encompassed the open wall that exposed the half floor to the rest of the cabin. He toed off his heavy boots and placed them neatly on the floor under his coat, within easy reach of the unoccupied side of the bed.

Gabriel sat on his favoured side of his bed and laid the boy down against the pillows and tucked the sheets around him, keeping the beds warmth a comforting cocoon before slipping into bed himself. With a grasping motion of his hand he snuffed out all the lit candles. With a satisfied groan, Reyes stretched and sunk comfortably boneless into the mattress, feeling his weariness melt away like candlewax.

"Lay still." Gabriel huffed sleepily, feeling Jesse shifting around. The sorcerer felt small hands clutch at his thin undershirt and a body press against his chest. Jesse made a small noise in the back of his throat and burrowed close, curling into a ball. With the last vestiges of his consciousness, Gabriel wrapped an arm around the little werewolf protectively, tucking a knee up to turn his body into a warm shield.

\---

Gabriel sighed contentedly against his pillow and cracked an eye open, blinking at the hazy sunlight that had begun to spill inside through the thick curtains. The brightest sliver of light illuminated the silhouette of the smallest werewolf Gabriel had ever encountered who was kneeling on top of a chest of draws to peek down at the garden outside. The chilly morning air misted against the window, the pane covered in little clear handprints where Jesse had swiped the fogged glass clear for him to see.

Stifling a yawn against the back of his hand, Reyes hauled himself out of bed and padded across the carpeted floor to stand behind Jesse, placing a hand on the boys back to keep him steady. "You ever seen pumpkins that big before?" Gabriel asked, carding his fingers gently through the tangled mess that was Jesse's hair- he made a mental note to acquire a comb to keep this unruly mess tameable in the future. Whatever had attacked Jesse and that town must truly have been terrifying- as the strange man with red eyes didn't seem to faze the little boy in the slightest way.  

Three sharp knocks to the front door shattered the relaxed haze of the quiet morning, followed by the creaking of the front door opening and closing.

"Are you home, Gabbie?" A voice called behind them through the modest cabin. Jesse blinked, and turned his big amber eyes onto Reyes. The sorcerer smiled reassuringly and twisted to call a greeting over his shoulder. The steady rhythmic sound of boots on wooden floorboards grew louder and a man with sunny blond hair bounced up the stairs.

"Hello Gabe-Oh!" Jack froze, staring wide-eyed at Jesse.

"Jack!" Gabriel sighed with a smile, relief washing over him like warm water. "I need to see Ana, would you be able to keep an eye on Jesse here while I'm gone?" He asked, tilting his head toward the child sat on his dresser. Gabriel stared at the white witch beseechingly, one hand clasped on his shoulder. Jack's crinkled brow smoothed and he smiled brightly and nodded, his blond hair glowed faintly gold in the sunlight.

"Sure, Gabe," the white witch plucked the sheriffs hat off on dresser beside Jesse and placed it on top of the boy's head, Jesse giggled and pulled the brim up so he could blink up at the white witch with a wide toothy grin. "Want to go exploring, son, yeah?" The infant werewolf nodded feverishly, heels kicking back against the dresser draws. Reyes smiled and returned to the bed to pull on his boots and coat.

\---

It was rare for Ana to linger, her ongoing personal quest to locate, copy, and catalogue every arcane text in existence had her visiting the furthest reaches of the earth. When she wasn't in the constant pursuit of magical knowledge she oversaw a vast library in Egypt. When she was in town, she remained in her local cataloguing office; a large spherical room with high clear windows and equally high bookshelves, each shelf crammed full of knowledge be it tracings, scraps, tomes, or her own scribbled notes. Her use sanded and coffee stained desk sat ungainly and proud in the centre of the room in a small depression surrounded by dark wooden steps. What with the heavy cobalt drapes and carpets, thick ever-burning candles, and general aura it felt as though it had been drawn straight through from a story book about wizards in tall towers.

"Gabriel!" Ana cried happily, throwing the door to her office open and bringing him down to her height with a crushing embrace.

" _Hola_ , Ana, I've missed you!" Gabriel returned the embrace warmly, before sweeping her off the floor with a dizzying laugh; only letting her down when the insistent tugging on a coiled lock of hair grew too bothersome- he did love to tease Ana on her height, her usual response being to kick him hard in the shin.  

The archivist tugged Gabriel over to her desk to where the still hot pot of coffee sat. The pair chatted idly, the topics ranging from little Fareeha, to Jack, to Egypt, and to Gabriel's little cemetery- all until the coffee had drained and the pot gone cold.

"The chat was nice but I don't think you came just to ask me about my travels." Ana eyed him expectantly, head tilted and her chin rested on her palm.

Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose and heaved a deep sigh, setting the now empty mug down on the desk. "Ana, what do you know about werewolves?"

"Hmm?" The witch hummed, tipping her head to the side, her slightly wavy black hair falling over one shoulder. "They're vulnerable to silver and fire blessings- come Gabe, you know this al-"

"No, Ana," The sorcerer interrupted. Reyes folded his arms over his chest and focused on glaring at the floor, as though the floorboards had offended him somehow. "I need to know about, about how to look after one. A little one." He passed a hand over his face roughly, fingers snagging in his beard and rubbing at his jaw irritably.

Ana's brows met her hairline. Gabriel would have found it amusing, had he not been glaring a hole through her floor, righteously embarrassed by the entire situation.

"There was a little settlement, just outside town, didn't look like time had changed it for a hundred years," Gabriel's shoulders slumped and he shivered at the memory of ravaged houses and bodies charred to ash. "I've never _seen_ devastation like that but it was definitely magical." Ana caught his eye and nodded slowly.

"Salamander, perhaps? Were there any signs of summoning circles or arcane residue?"

"Ana there was _nothing left_ , the whole town was burned to ashes. If something had been summoned it had done in those who had pulled it through, and it wasn't happy about it. He was the only survivor, a tiny little boy covered in soot hiding in a field- how could I just leave him there alone?."

The Archivist said nothing but began sifting through the high stacks of books, muttering lowly to herself and starting another separate stack of books, all on Lycanthrope.

"Here," Ana called as she returned to her desk in the centre of the room, "These books contain all the combined knowledge to date on werewolves, hopefully you'll be able to find something of use." Ana chided with a playful smirk, pushing the neatly bound stack of books into Gabriel's arms. "Although I think it will be rather difficult to locate a passage on how to house train werewolf pups." The sorcerer mock grumbled his thanks with a lopsided smile, bundling the books under one arm, silently thankful his dark skin hid the embarrassed burning of his cheeks.

Ana's laughter chased him back to his car.

\---

Gabriel found them in the pumpkin patch.

Jesse had Morrison's scarf wrapped snugly around his neck, and most of his torso. Gabriel shook his head fondly. He had bought the scarf for the white witch several years ago as a joke; the joke appeared to have either been entirely lost on Jack or had backfired spectacularly as he had worn it since at every opportunity. The scarf itself was excessively long, knitted from pale blue wool and patterned with stars in a soft yellow.

"-Cornstalks for miles and miles." Jack was crouched on the gravel path, craning his neck high and leaning left and right to keep Jesse in his sight as the six year old went on his little crusade through the flowerbeds. A warm feeling spread through Gabriel's chest when he saw the two of them, relaxed in the pale autumn sunshine. The white witch rose to his feet with a bright smile upon seeing the sorcerer's approach, swiping grit and dirt of the knees of his light jeans.

"How did it go with Ana, find what you needed?" Jack asked walking over to meet Reyes on the path. Gabriel hooked two fingers under the knot of the twine that bound the books together and hoisted them into the air beside his head.

"I certainly hope so, I've got some homework to do." Gabriel smirked, lowering the books back by his side.

Jesse stumbled back to the path, giggling, with his hands clasped together at his chest. Jack flashed Gabriel a small smile before turning to crouch to the infant werewolf's height.

"What'cha got there, sport?" Jesse's nose crinkled as he grinned and opened his tiny hands to reveal a bobbing sphere of light. The sorcerer knelt beside the white witch and ruffled Jesse's hair- the little boy leaned to the touch and watched the little arcane ball of light, enraptured.

"Wisps," Gabriel smiled, giving the little werewolf a gentle nudge with his shoulder, "They're drawn to magical energy, they're rather common in this town." Reyes' hand smoothed through the boys hair, feeling the protruding wolf's ears twitch under his fingers; He had encountered his share of werewolves in the past, but never had he thought here in his little kingdom he would be raising one as his own. Stranger things were bound to happen in the future.

\---

The remainder of the week pending the full moon passed surprisingly uneventfully. Jack made good on his word to help Gabriel as best as he could. He practically disappeared off the face of the earth for a few days and returned bright and early with a car full of clothes, toys, and bedding befitting a six year old boy. He had even offered to help Gabriel clear out the backroom he used as an office and keep all his arcane supplies at the farm, as well as offering to help construct an extension to the cabin that would be a replacement space. In Gabriel's opinion, Jack was far too angelic for his own good. Jesse had won over Ana with a giggle and his puppy dog charms, earning them both any future knowledge and aid in the future. All preparation had been laid for the night where the moon hanged pale and full and Jesse's hyperactivity reached it's peak.

\---

Gabriel grabbed his guitar and hauled himself up one handed onto the peaked roof of the porch and settled himself gingerly. The sorcerer drew a deep breath through his nose and exhaled happily casting a content look around, spying the graveyard in the distance. He lived fairly close to the cemetery so that part of town was very quiet compared to the rest, and where was quiet the more timid of the arcane lingered. Gabriel prided himself on his land being a sanctuary to spectral beings, not to be hunted or chased away. The view from the roof was impressive too, the swath of artificial light from the centre of town was shrouded by a thick forest of pine trees, there was no pollution to mar the bright iridescence of the full moon and stars above, or the varicoloured arcane wisps that floated by like paper lanterns.

The clacking of thick nails on wood interrupted his idleness and he leaned forward to peer over the porches' decorative overhang.

Jesse's form had shifted into that of a wolf pup, much larger than an ordinary cub, but still tiny in comparison to the ones he had seen full size. At his age, he was likely unable to control his changes, but with training- for both Jesse and Gabriel- he could remain in human form when he moon turned full with increased awareness and strength.

Jesse had his fathers sheriff hat held carefully between his teeth, the hat's brim dragged against the ground, even with Jesse craning his neck as far up as he could. He paused at the threshold and sniffed curiously. An equally curious wisp floated down and gently touched his nose, raw magic crackled between them and Jesse jumped at the contact. Jesse dropped the hat with a playful growl and gave chase.

His thick tail swept from side to side as he hopped and danced in circles excitedly. Gabriel chuckled and watched the interaction, happiness settling in his chest like a mouthful of hot coffee. This being his first full moon in a new environment he was likely somewhat overwhelmed, the sights and scents of magic and the forest enhanced by the change, likely feeling akin to a child with a pocket full of change let loose in a penny sweet shop.

The little werewolf bayed in feverish enthusiasm batting at wisps, the little arcane balls of light bobbed playfully in and out of his reach, glowing merrily. Jesse bounced after the arcane spirits chasing them around the grounds hopping into the air in attempt to catch one before slipping on the tangle of frosty leaves and falling with a yelp into the pumpkin patch at the side of the house. Gabriel had a spectacular view of his tumble from his position on the roof.

Gabriel laughed, a rich wholesome sound and kicked his legs forward, limbs splaying wide for balance on the narrow roof. He cupped his mouth with both hands and called a mock wolfs howl. Below him among the pumpkins, the scruffy little werewolf threw back his head and howled. It was a thin, reedy sound but the best an infant werewolf could achieve.

Wisps and fireflies bobbed and floated aimlessly through the cool night air, emitting little candle-flickers of varicoloured light. The sky was already dark as pitch and no clouds in sight to smother the stars and full moon hanging heavy and bright far above. The jovial sounds of laughter, howling, and the enthusiastic plucking of guitar strings drifted into the night.

**Author's Note:**

> Once again I've included the native languages of the characters- if anything is incorrect please let me know and it will be changed.  
> Hola- hello  
> Esta bien- are you alright  
> pequeño- little one  
> chico- a term of endearment used towards (your) son


End file.
